StarkWare launches OffMarket, a non-custodial privacy service using zero-knowledge technology on Starknet that allows Polymarket users to trade without publicly linking positions to primary accounts. The launch follows public concerns over Polygon transparency, where analysts identified major political bets and tens of thousands of flagged insider trades. Alongside OffMarket, StarkWare released Shadow Accounts for application-specific DeFi privacy, building on its STRK20 framework.
OffMarket launch and integration with Polymarket
- ▪OffMarket executes private orders on Polymarket against existing order books, liquidity, and market prices, while enforcing Polymarket's normal taker fees and geographic restrictions against U.S. users.
- ▪OffMarket is not owned or created by Polymarket and has no formal partnership with the platform, operating independently as part of Polymarket's verified builder program.
- ▪OffMarket became publicly available on or around October 14, 2026, following a private alpha in July 2026, invite-only access in August 2026, and mainnet privacy trading in September 2026.
- ▪StarkWare launched OffMarket, a privacy service that enables users to trade on Polymarket without publicly linking their trading positions to their primary accounts.
OffMarket constraints and privacy limitations
- ▪OffMarket limits account deposits to $1,000 USDC in its open-source privacy pool, which holds around $1.5 million and 17,000 deposits as recorded by L2BEAT.
- ▪OffMarket cannot mask public transaction sizes, order prices, execution timing, or public USDC pool transfers, which can potentially expose trader identities during low liquidity periods.
OffMarket security and compliance measures
- ▪OffMarket allows users to retain control of their keys in their browsers, while derived wallets are managed via user signatures to ensure non-custodial wallet recovery if OffMarket goes offline.
- ▪OpenZeppelin audited OffMarket's privacy pool contract in June 2026 without high-severity findings, and StarkWare formally verified the contract in July 2026.
- ▪Financial Privacy Inc. holds OffMarket's master viewing key in a secure enclave under a multisignature arrangement with StarkWare, screening deposits against sanctions and reviewing legal requests for transaction data.
Shadow Accounts features and integration
- ▪Developers can integrate Shadow Accounts into applications using Starknet Wallet API version 0.10.4 or starknet.js version 10.8.0 via the shadow_account_invoke method without handling users' private state.
- ▪StarkWare announced the launch of Shadow Accounts on October 13, 2026, allowing decentralized finance users to create persistent, application-specific identities without exposing links to their primary crypto wallets.
- ▪Shadow Accounts maintain persistent onchain addresses across multiple transactions with a specific application, while leaving account balances and transaction histories publicly visible on blockchain explorers.
StarkWare privacy releases in June 2026
- ▪StarkWare demonstrated a Private Know Your Customer system on June 23, 2026, using zero-knowledge proofs on mobile devices to verify identity criteria without exposing full passport documents.
- ▪StarkWare introduced its STRK20 privacy framework on June 9, 2026, providing zero-knowledge shielded balances, private transfers, and viewing keys for auditing ERC-20 assets on Starknet.
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